Demon
| creator deity = Mardük | type = | lifespan = 500 (since Fourth Age) | region = | language = | height = Varies | weight = Varies | skincolor = | haircolor = White to black | eyecolor = Red | distinctions = Horned, winged and tailed with claws, hoofs and sharp fangs although appearances vary based on the demon in question, possess varying physical and magical powers based on age and experience | ageoftga = }} Demons are beings who originate from the Demon Realm. There are many variants of demons, but the most common one is a humanoid creature with wings, tail and horns. Many demons can mask their appearance by shapeshifting into less intimidating forms. After the Cataclysm, four demon hordes entered the Land of the Living, using the ravaged nation of Yamato as their base of operations and breeding ground. After the Catastrophe that began the Fourth Age led to the demons' power weakening, they have founded the Andarian Empire where most demons in the Land of the Living presently live in. History Origins :See: The Legend of the Three Brothers Little is known of demon history other than that they originate in another plane called the Demon Realm and that the god Mardük has brought them to the Land of the Living on multiple occasions. Mardük is considered their father, and thus demons are sometimes archaically referred to as the children of Mardük. First Age The first known demon invasion was during the Chaos War in the First Age which brought demons to public attention as minions of the God of Chaos. After Mardük's sealing, most demons retreated in confusion to their realm although some, notably Yurius and Rage, stayed behind to wreak havoc on the world in a series of wars. The First Banishment of Yurius, an exceptionally powerful demon, was enough to cause a worldwide catastrophe which ended the First Age. Second Age During the Second Age, Yurius was released again and summoned several powerful demons to do his bidding in the Manster Rebellion. Ultimately he was defeated again and sealed into another plane of existence in the Second Banishment which this time didn't nearly cause the end of the world. However, some stray demons remained in the world despite Yurius's defeat and eventually bred with other races, producing half-demons of various origin. The number of pureblood demons waned over the years due to persecution and many of them going into hiding, and they became campfire tales throughout most of the world by the time the Explosion ended the Second Age. Third Age Return Some demons succeeded in accessing the Land of the Living from their realm by using interdimensional portals which led them to various locations in the world in the Third Age. This is how Omaroch d'Zarnagon, for instance, managed to sneak into the world from within the Drithenspire mountain range. During the Great War, Mardük was released from the prison he'd remained in since the end of the Chaos War and used his power to open a portal, the Gate of Darkness, into the Demon Realm, letting demons begin the invasion of the world in his name. However, the Godslayer, a mysterious new foe, appeared on the battlefield and devoured Mardük, thus causing the Cataclysm and making the now masterless demons run amok and slaughter anyone in their way. Invasions It took months until demons regained their sanity after the death of their god and began carving four distinct duchies for four powerful demon hordes and their leaders. Yamato was thus divided into four with equally powerful duchies ruling one great province each. After that time the demons have begun setting plans in motion to usurp power from one another as well as invade the rest of the world. First such fullscale invasion took place in the summer of 1017 AE when the Northern Horde entered the Tronin Desert and took over the Sultanate of Karaganda, a first step which would lead to the conquest of all of Libaterra. Fourth Age At the dawn of the Fourth Age, the demons found out that their powers had greatly diminished thanks to the magical aftereffects of the enigmatic Catastrophe. In order to survive in their weakened state, the rival hordes signed an indefinite ceasefire, known as the Treaty of Andaria, which laid the groundwork of founding the Andarian Empire. The four hordes were transformed into the High Legions with the archdemons of each legion becoming an Empress or Emperor, respectively, of the Tetrarchy. Since those days, the Andarian Empire has continued to grow in the new world, intending to annex nearby nations into itself over time to fill its hungry coffers and to ensure the safety of its citizens, and more importantly its rulers who have no shortage of enemies. Appearance The looks of demons vary depending on which breed they are. The most common variant is slightly humanoid, winged, clawed and with a tail while having black, green or red skin colour. Their eyes often burn in bright red, especially when they use the full extent of their abilities. Personality and Traits Demons range from psychopathic killers to more reserved, thoughtful individuals. They all crave for chaos more or less, however, despite some struggling to pave a new way for their kind. Demons tend to be destructive by nature, seeing themselves as superior to other races who they consider to be 'lesser beings'. They often abuse their powers and can be rather vain and vengeful. Although they thirst for blood and are more than willing to devour slain opponents to gain their power and thus grow stronger in demon hierarchy, demons are also capable of friendship, and many work in clans, caring for those close to them. Many mothers and fathers share a bond of some kind with their spawns and can even adopt other spawns into their clan if they're impressed by the spawn enough. Love, passion and perversity are often mixed in demon relationships, and they're not bound by the social norms of the world, choosing to follow whatever their hearts tell them to, which can lead to unparalleled orgies mixing pain and pleasure, which frighten and disgust other, more conservative races. Many demons are bisexuals although personal preferences vary between individuals. Some demons may prefer to mate only with fellow demons, but some are more willing to explore passion with other races whether forcibly or not, which has sometimes led to the births of halfbreeds. However, some demons shun such pairings, believing interracial relationships to be akin to weakening the pure demon bloodline. Powers and Abilities Abilities among demons vary depending on what they were bred for: some can easily change into other forms (humans, elves, dwarves etc.) whereas others can fly better than others. Their size varies from the tiny imp to the gigantic colossus. All demons are destructive by nature, though, and should not be taken lightly in combat although some prefer the use of brute force while others are better at being cunning and deceiving their opponents through clever manipulation. Relations Demons, being referred to as children of Mardük, were initially aiding the Clergy of Mardük and Yamato Empire albeit only because Mardük's will commanded them to do so. After Mardük's demise in the Cataclysm, demons swore allegiance to no one but themselves as they divided into many hordes, each with a different agenda. Most demons consider other races as lesser beings who are only worthy as slaves or food. The current four rival hordes also view each other as enemies and consntantly scheme against one another for power, which is one of the reasons why there hadn't been a full-scale invasion of the rest of the Land of the Living after the loss of Yamato. Ranks Overview The ranks of demons vary depending on their age and power. The weakest demons are mere imps with little to no offensive capability and magic power, so they often act as messengers. Gering, the low class, are about as skilled as average human warriors and mages. Mitglied, the middle class, are above average demons with considerable combat prowess. Hoch, the high class, are very skilled demons who can wipe out entire squads by themselves. The term 'archdemon' is often used to refer to very old demons who have gained considerable power, and it's based on merit rather than heritage. So, a child of two archdemons isn't automatically given the title of archdemon; the child has to earn it as it matures and if lives long enough to become powerful enough to claim such a title. Third Age The Grand Duchess The Grand Duchess is the ultimate leader of demons and the fifth archdemon even though she does not have a Horde of her own. She rules from the demon capital of Kageshima as an overseer and lets the four archdemons and their four duchies do what they want for the time being. Current holder of the title is: *Grand Duchess Nhrakate d'Zarnagon The Four The Four refers collectively to the four archdemons who lead the four Demon Hordes of Yamato. Each has their own duchy, and these four duchies collectively form what is known as the Grand Duchy of Yamato. The current archdemons of the four hordes are: *Duke Malphas d'Xuvadon of the Northern Horde *Duke Hepnaz L'invrad of the Southern Horde (dead) **Duchess Nina Heeate L'andariel (succeeded Hepnaz) *Duke Pazuzu of the Western Horde *Duchess Vaetris L'andariel of the Eastern Horde Dreadlord A Dreadlord, or Dreadlady, is a high-level demon, usually from the Hoch class, whom an archdemon has picked to serve as his or her closest underling. So far reports seem to indicate that an archdemon only chooses one demon as a Dreadlord, but it could be possible that some archdemon might have chosen more than one Dreadlord. In any case the power of a Dreadlord is second only to an archdemon, and Dreadlords often lead the Four's armies when the archdemons themselves are busy with other administrative duties in their duchies. Current Dreadlords and Dreadladies are: *Count Leraje Thanadar of the Northern Horde **Count Ronove Thanadar (succeeded Leraje) *Countess Gin'vel of the Southern Horde (dead) *Countess Naamah of the Western Horde *Countess Nina Heeate L'andariel of the Eastern Horde **Countess Jahi Gallu (succeeded Nina) Fourth Age Since the founding of the Andarian Empire at the dawn of the Fourth Age, the demon hierarchy has undergone a notable change. The Grand Duchess exists no more as a title and has been replaced by four Emperors and Empresses. The Four are known as the Tetrarchy since their position was elevated. Naming A traditional way for demons to name their ranks depends on what Horde they serve. For example, the Northern Horde uses the red colour, Rot. Different ways for referring to oneself in this Horde would thus be: Gering des Rot (Low of the Red), Mitglied des Rot (Member of the Red), and Hoch des Rot (High of the Red). Switching Rot with the other colour terms Blau (Blue), Gelb (Yellow), and Grun (Green) gives members of the other Hordes their appropriate titles. There is also a fifth group, Schwartz (Black); however, it is not a specific Horde but actually a guard caste that protects Kageshima and the Grand Duchess. The naming of demon clans varies. To give an example, some but not all demons use the place of origin in their clan name. So, the d'Xuvadon surname is used to signify that Malphas d'Xuvadon belongs to the Xuvadon Clan which consists of demons who have come from the Xuvadon province of the Demon Realm. Breeds Demons have different breeds which are used for special tasks. Although other races have only recently discovered this fact, they have already written reports about the purpose of various breeds. Below are listed some of the known, specially bred breeds: Black Death Role: Heavy infantry Also known as ebon demons. According to Black Hunter reports, this unit consists of only one cohort (500 soldiers), but its black-clad members easily compensate for this by being the deadliest, elite warriors of any horde. A good way to stay alive is to not take them lightly in battle, and taking them down will require coordinated efforts from warriors and mages. After its introduction to the Northern Horde, other hordes have introduced their own ebon demons into their respective Hordes to counter the Black Death unit. Deathwing Role: Air support Big bat-like demons that can carry as many as four demons on their backs. They act as air support for the Hordes and can be used as both transports and aerial fighters. They use their club-like tails to shoot spikes which regenerate at a fast pace. Deliverer Role: Heavy land support A new breed introduced by the Northern Horde after the Battle of Vanna, these demons are huge and fast centipedean creatures with many pairs of legs. They can, among other things, transport hundreds of demons within them and spit them out as they cling to the walls with their claws. They can also send swarms of parasitic creatures from their bodies to fight off anyone who tries to disrupt their advance. Disarmer Role: Light assault Four-armed, armored demons that wield a weapon in each claw. They are skilled in the use of various melee weapons such as axes and swords. Their armor can protect even against fierce blows in close combat, but they are weak against magic and their skin can't sustain too many injuries. Dominator Role: Heavy assault Also known as colossi, these demons are rare but huge and very powerful. They rely on brute strength and their massive size to inflict fear on their enemies. They are specialized in breaking through armies and heavy defenses like sturdy walls. It requires lots of teamwork to make such a monstrosity fall. Doomhound Role: Scout, cavalry, detector Demons that look like giant, twisted cousins of wolves which act as mounts for greater demons. They always find their prey, and they can travel miles quickly if hunting, which makes them good trackers and scouts. They also react to the presence of mages even if the mages are under a cloaking spell, which makes them effective guards. Dreamer Role: Magic support Demon mages that are in constant trance and need lesser demons to carry them around. The trance helps them cast multiple spells without getting tired. They are poor in close combat, but they have excellent protection against spells and elemental attacks. They are often guarded by a group of Disarmers. Dyseuphor Role: Assassin Demons whose bodies produce toxins which often get other demons high but which are tend to be fatal in high doses to most non-demons. They're a staple in any respectable demon orgy or party as they tend to liven up the mood whenever they show up. Felsteed Role: Cavalry Demons that look like giant, twisted cousins of horses. They often appear to be on fire, or at least give an impression on those who view them that they are, and have a frightening presence. Few felsteed have been sighted outside the Demon Realm, the only notable exception so far being Azazel's steed. Imp Role: Light infantry The smallest demons, imps don't look imposing and are hardly a threat to a warrior unless they appear in large groups. Imps generally act as spies and scouts who find out enemy's movements and do all sorts of mischief to draw the enemy's attention away from the real threat. They are capable of teleporting and casting spells in general but can easily be killed. Incubus Role: Assassin, seducer Intoxicatingly handsome male demons and thus can be considered the gender-flipped version of a succubus. They, like the succubi, also derive pleasure from pain and are expert seducers. Succubus Role: Assassin, seducer Intoxicatingly beautiful female demons employed especially by the Eastern Horde. They mix pain and pleasure, creating ultimate sensations from each as they seduce their enemies into giving them vital information before they suck their lifeforce dry in sexual encounters. They often specialize in deception as well as blazingly fast, agile combat. Demon Groups Third Age After the Cataclysm when demons poured into the Land of the Living through the Gate of Darkness, several demon hordes formed under archdemons. In late Third Age, are presently four demon hordes that rule different parts of Yamato: *Eastern Horde *Northern Horde *Southern Horde *Western Horde Fourth Age Since the Catastrophe that began the Fourth Age, the four hordes have been replaced by the four High Legions of Andaria: *Emerald Legion *Ruby Legion *Sapphire Legion *Topaz Legion See also *Andaria *Demon Realm *Mardük *Norash'namun *Races *Yamato Category:Andaria Category:Beasts Category:Demon Realm * Category:First Age Category:Fourth Age Category:Humanoids Category:Second Age Category:Third Age Category:Yamato